Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-06-19

y
There was not one Of them who
could rot say with Laurcns Of South
| Carolina: 81 am poor man-'iod
knows am q poor man but your king
Is not rich enough to buy me 49,
In this they were the representatives.
Of thcirpcople. The faintest suspicion
Of delinquency in this respect would
have blasted the chances Of any man
ut the South, however powerful or
however able ne might have been, and
have consigned him to everlasting in
fanny. Yes, whatever assaults may he
made on that ola civilization, be this
lis final defence The men were hon
orable and the women purc. Sohighly
were these qualities esteemed that the
aepcrSlon of either was deemed suiii-
Gent cause 70 take life.
II it has appeared to modern ciyiliza-
ton that life has not been held suiii-
cicntly sacred at the South, ! would
urge This in her defence: That q com
raraiivc statement based on the Stats
Tics DO not show that homicide i or
Las ever been more general at the
South than at the North, when all
classes are embraced III the statement
and if it has been tolerated among the
upper classes under form which has
now happily passed away, II was in
obedience TO sentiment which, al
though grossly abused, had this much
justification That 1t placed honor
above even life.
THE SOUTH'S WEAKNESS.
The principal element of weakness
in the civilization of the old South
was that it was not productive IN
/ the material departments of life.
/ Tie natural agricultural resources
Of the country were SO great and 50
suited TO the genius OF the people that
/ there were no manufactures to speak Of.
The tendency Of the civilization was
/ the reduction of everything to prlncl-
/ pies and not to disturb them 10y expert
mcnt. In this way there was an cnor-
nous waste. The physical resources
Of the country and the intellectual re-
sources of its people were equally sub
lcct TO this fault.
Whilst oratory hourshed to greater
extent than under any other ciyillza-
ton which has existed since the inven-
ton Of the printing press there was no
southern literature. Rather, there
were no publishers and no public.
/ There were critics who would have
sEonc on the LdiHhUrgh RCyi'w, and
writer's and poets who wonld have made
an Augustan literature but the atmos-
phere was against them.
4 Virginia farmer sat down and
wrote of the Virginia Bill Of Rights
the fine st State paper ever drawn. y
Nirginian drafted without effort the
Declaration of independence a south
oruer laid down the laws of the winds
and tides. and on the painless ocean
marked out highways so that men may
follow them as on dry land. Now
and anon series Of sketches found
Their way into print, so humorous and
delicate that the world read with de-
ligLt: an essay appeared III the public
lruts so profound that It set all mca TO
thinking: hut these were merely Tor
the diversion of Tie writers, and usually
they were not followed up The sur
rounding circumstances were not con
luCiyc 10 literary HE, and, although
the LarpIs were present. tucy DIT not
sing.
JLc oll masters in mellow Liatots
and faded El,iyirs, which BIS father
had read before him. were good enough
for toe slthcmer, and SO Tucker and
Breckenridge. Baldwin and Loug>treet.
Snms and Wilde, and Gayarn. amt
Cooke and others, wrote merely for
their diversion, and merely stole Pee
aasuS for midnight ridc, and Poe and
Thompson and others sang like the
rolt,ncalc ln darkness, and were
tr:vu oil 10 an alien CLINE where even
.vopc those who were hostile thy re-
cci,,d nor, encouragement than AT
ioi.c. and finally. like host others,
oicd in neglect IN The midst OF people
whom thcy would have gloritiod
II vas To- this thattae south owtd her
final defeat. 4 was for lack OF iite-
,,;ulc that she was left behind i thc
,r,.t race for out side support, and llt
no the supreme moment Ut her '.I,t-
once She found herself auriencl ~ 'io
har of the world without an adv i'
and without defence.
Culy stuJythc course of the coH,es,
against the South and you cannot iW
90 See how She was conquered by th'
len rathcrth than Iy the sword and Low
l'uNailiug against the resources OK th,
world. which the North commar,e.
mcuch the sympathy il had cnn.@d
Was the valance of that heroic army
Which. if courage could have aY.. ID
had witlst0od the universe.
II was worn away as a Blade - V'cl
hvuse. and vet retains It's temper Will
uut fragment exists. There WAS the
wound that slow. The South mld'
tLc history and let the North writ" 1T
And when the supreme moment conn
she had the world against her; th
8 North had brought 20 It's aid the sym
ratlv of Chri~teudom, and its fore
w.s as the erayitation OF the earth in
. rlcGptih'o, vet irresistible.
utt,rno blame agauS them. ron
Nbcr standpoint they were right, 49,
were ricu from ours Slavery vas
s. srot barrier which kept ont the light
T. and tire North wrote OF %, in tie nEu
only what 1t believed.
+ lit wa. icuuant II i,ouPiuulttAat
ID was not ,uli4htcncd. Ne hdd no' tn
inclination if wc had ;hc power To- %
.lgct IN. We denied and fought, D"
wcGid not argue. Ec this, hovcNJ
our justification. that slavery dli no
Il admit Of argument. Argument m 81
destruction.
And thus it stands to-day and ilr
if viii ever stand, unless from S'm
southern mother, like this oil un.Vc
sitv. shall spring forth a strain vA
. Shall write the South's real history AN
. tell its true story.
TIE tCTrEE HIsroH'N.
- Yes. u.y brothers. the future hist
10 rion oi III. old South and of It. civil
.- cation is vet to ris, mp, AMI / pray tn
j. when he arises It may be au angel TN
.ball place in his haud the pen an, 81
unto him Write.
h., If in il!,s audience tonight there
if any Young son of the south IN Wl.(l'
}. veins there beats the blood OF so!di
s.. who pcnllod his life for that cl'lliIlu'
f. which | have 50 inadequltclr outline